


Love is Elemental

by Critter_Cantrip



Series: Dancing with Fire [3]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mild Cursing, implied BDSM, single scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-04 23:56:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14031654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Critter_Cantrip/pseuds/Critter_Cantrip
Summary: Mollymauk and Caleb have a slight disagreement on how to handle Caleb's injuries. Thankfully their previous experiences offers them crystal clarity at just the right moment.





	Love is Elemental

Having an arrow pulled from you isn’t something you ever really get used to. Caleb had done the deed himself on a few occasions, more often than he ever cared to recollect. Of course he _could_ recollect. Fourteen times.

A few arrows in you realize that there’s no real path around the pain. Either you’ll pass out from it or you won’t. Either there’s a healer nearby to make it easier or there isn’t. When there isn’t the arrow still has to come out -- assuming you want to live.

This leant Caleb a certain gleichmut in the face of the task that befuddled less unlucky mortals. It certainly confused Mollymauk.

“Wait.” Molly said, a hand pressed down on his unmarked shoulder. “The others are not far behind.”

Caleb tried to lean forward against Molly’s weight and paused a moment to admire the pretty spinning stars in his vision. He settled into an involuntary rest as he panted for breath.

“Ah, darlin’, I’d appreciate that kind of noise better in a clean, warm inn,” Molly said as he looked over his shoulder.

The scent of pine was so thick in the air it made his throat itch. Damn forest. Damn trap. “If you don’t get me up and moving the others will heroically rescue our corpses,” Caleb said. There was an odd wheeze in his breath. Something he couldn’t readily identify. Shock?

Molly turned back to Caleb and uttered an anatomically interesting proposition. “Caleb, I think you’re right. Blue really isn’t your color.”

Caleb didn’t know what that was supposed to mean but he was fairly certain the warm Autumn day was taking a turn for an unseasonable arrival of snow. He couldn’t feel his toes.

“Arrow’s got to come out,” Molly said as he reached for the shaft. The oddly silver shaft that glinted in the filtered tree light.

“Krapfen,” Caleb said as his teeth chattered.

Molly’s hand stopped half an inch from the arrow. Hoarfrost wrapped around Molly’s exposed skin in a delicate play of air and water.

“C-c-c-urse,” Caleb managed to stammer as the chattering of his teeth became a violent whole body shiver.

Molly slowly moved his hand away from the arrow and the familiar lavender of his skin restored in moments. There was a genuine fear in Molly when he spoke. “How do I remove it?”

Caleb fought to speak. “You. Don’t.”

His muscles burned in an attempt to stop the frost emanating from the arrow. It had to be now. He managed to wrap his good hand around the arrow shaft by vision alone. Willed his muscles to pull.

Nothing happened. The stars in his vision were something else now, something much more terrifying as the world began to dim in a strange, grey fog.

Caleb couldn’t recall a true sense of biting cold after claiming fire as his personal demon. He felt it now, chewing through his marrow like a particularly pleased wolf. For a few moments he was blind, numb, senseless. He was as aware that time passed as he was his own heartbeat. It was the only way he knew he was alive.

The world returned to him in a rush of warmth and color. His breath burned in his lungs as he screamed; his hand crushed by Molly’s grip. The arrow was still clasped in Caleb’s fist. Ice extended down Caleb’s arm towards his heart and up past Molly’s wrists.

“Let go.” Caleb pleaded. “Please, let go.”

“I can’t!” Molly yanked them both backwards, bringing Caleb onto his feet with his efforts to free his hands. The arrow was fixed between them.

“Damn fool,” Caleb said as he reached out with his thoughts to Frumpkin. It was a painful ask. He knew his familiar would obey. Perhaps he couldn’t choose otherwise. Still, Caleb understood there would be penance due.

A great snowy owl dropped from the sky, a blur of speed, and crashed into Molly and Caleb’s hands before disintegrating into pure energy. Some of the ice broke free with an audible crack and a few large pieces fell to the forest floor to be nestled by the thick carpet of pine needles.

With a painful bellow Molly ripped his hands away. Caleb let out a guttural scream of pain and forced his fingers to open. The arrow dropped from his hand.

Caleb wished that was the worst of it. It seemed enough. His left hand was a waxy purplish green color and his skin still looked frost bit. Molly’s hands were a strange pearlescent white that faded into his normal lavender past his wrists.

The ice elemental was standing directly behind Molly’s shoulder, maybe twenty paces back. It started to raise its crystalline bow.  

At least death has a supreme sense of irony, Caleb thought as he stepped silently in front of Molly. To be struck down by an entity that embodied the beauty of a frozen waterfall lit by moonlight. It was a fitting death for a man who had killed so many with fire.

No time for words. Probably for the best. Molly was always the talker.

The arrow was nocked. Caleb drew his final breath. And felt his jaw drop slowly open as a flaming sword cleaved the creature in a nearly perfect bisection. The arrow skittered harmlessly into the dirt, ice trailing its path through the low foliage. Yasha stepped through bits of shattered elemental and shook dripping goop off her blade.

“It worked, Caleb!” Nott rushed from behind Yasha’s towering form. She waved an empty vial in front of her. Her toothy grin at her successful concoction faded as she got a good look at Caleb’s wounds.

“You selfish bastard,” Mollymauk said as Yasha and Nott approached.

“It goes two ways,” Caleb said softly, for Molly’s ears only. Hopefully. Nott had very good hearing.

“We’re going to have a good and proper discussion about this,” Molly said in a low mutter. He tried to warm his hands with his breath.

“Yes well, add changing the Sicherheitswort to the agenda while you’re at it.” Caleb rested his head against Molly’s cheek for a brief moment before turning to reassure Nott that, no, truly, he wasn’t about to fall dead after just being rescued.

**Author's Note:**

> After writing part one of Dancing with Fire I've been indulging in somewhat more light hearted scenes. Part One was a fairly intense writing session squeezed into 48 hours. I do intend to get into the deeper, darker ravines of Molly and Caleb's relationship. At the moment these flashes are helping balance out the mental juju.


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